Alan Bergman

When Marvin Hamlisch auditioned for the Juilliard School of Music, he played not Chopin or Mozart but the American folk standard "Goodnight, Irene," a choice that could have had lamentable results for any other prospective student.

But Hamlisch quickly established there was little about his talent that was ordinary: He could perform the song in any key the admissions committee requested — and he was but 6 years old.

By the time he was 30, the former prodigy — the youngest student the prestigious New York school had ever admitted — was a wunderkind composer for Broadway and Hollywood, whose contribution to American popular music would bring comparisons to Richard...

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When Marvin Hamlisch auditioned for the Juilliard School of Music, he played not Chopin or Mozart but the American folk standard "Goodnight, Irene," a choice that could have had lamentable results for any other prospective student.But Hamlisch quickly...